Perry Center professor Dr. David Spencer published a new book on Colombia. Spencer, a long-time observer and scholar on Colombian politics and history, published A Great Perhaps? – Colombia: Conflict and Divergence with fellow authors Dickie Davis, David Kilcullen, and Greg Mills.

The book examines the astonishing turn-around of one of the US’ most important allies in Latin America. In the late 1990s, US government officials warned that the country was on the brink of collapse and could devolve into a narco-state. Under the leadership of Presidents Pastrana, Uribe, and Santos, government forces battled back against a mosaic of left-wing guerrillas, right-wing paramilitaries, and narcotraffickers, eventually seizing the momentum. Paramilitary forces have been demobilized and guerrilla ranks decimated, driving the remainder to the peace table in Havana.

Dr. Spencer writes the opening chapter, “A Long War,” and in the fifth chapter examines the strategy and transformation of the FARC. Juan Carlos Pinzón, former Colombian Minister of Defense and now Ambassador to the United States, adds a 17-page preface.